1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing device able to limit functions of an apparatus connected to the data processing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a printer, a scanner, a facsimile machine, or another peripheral device is connected to a personal computer or other data processing device through a network or in series, the personal computer includes device drivers for converting data created or viewed by applications installed in the personal computer to data able to be processed by the peripheral devices.
For example, when a laser printer is connected to a personal computer, generally, a printer driver for the laser printer is installed in the personal computer, and thereby, the data created or viewed by applications are converted into page-description language (PDL) data which are able to be processed by the laser printer. In order for one personal computer to utilize multiple laser printers connected through a network, it is necessary to install the printer drivers for the multiple laser printers in the personal computer.
For example, when using printers in an office network system, sometimes it is recommended to use “double face printing”, “collective printing”, or other special printing settings. In this case, in a system in which each of the personal computers on the network has one printer driver (in other words, the personal computers on the network correspond to the printer drivers installed in the personal computers one by one), in order to apply the same specific printing settings to all printers, it is necessary to limit the printing setting items in each printer driver.
For example, Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. 2004-2341693 (hereinafter, referred to as “reference 1”) discloses a printing device able to specify items usable or un-usable for each user by using setting information stored in the printing device. The printing device receives information indicating whether a printing setting item specified by a printer driver (in the personal computer) is usable or not usable, and stores the information in a memory of the printing device. When the printing device is used once again, the printing device transmits the stored information indicating whether a printing setting item is usable to the personal computer, and the printer driver in the personal computer displays the obtained information on a user interface (UI).
In addition, Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. 2003-323268 (hereinafter, referred to as “reference 2”) discloses a printing system able to limit functions of a printer to be used, in which a host computer having a printer driver able to set printing conditions into printing data is connected to a printing device able to generate image data from the printing data transmitted from the host computer and to print the generated image data. Limitation of functions of the printer device is performed on an operational panel on the printer device, and information concerning printer device function limitation is stored in the printer device. When displaying a user interface (UI), the printing driver acquires the function limitation information from the printer device, and displays the function limitation information on the user interface.
However, in order to realize the printing device and the printing system disclosed in reference 1 and reference 2, it is necessary to provide a unit for limiting the printing setting items on both the printer driver and the printer. In addition, in the techniques disclosed reference 1 and reference 2, as described above, each of the personal computers on the network has one printer driver (namely, the personal computers on the network correspond to the printer drivers installed in the personal computers one by one); thus, each time a printer connected to a personal computer is changed, the printer driver has to be changed, and it is necessary to execute a series of operations for limiting the printing setting items, requiring interactive communications between the printer and the personal computer.